As Joe Cotruvo writes in his Contaminant of the Month column from September 2015, medical wastes have the potential to enter the drinking water supply. Hospitals and health care facilities are major consumers of water, and treatment challenges may present risks to the water supply. Federal regulations for this waste exists, but for the most part, states and localities have guidelines in place to manage it. Furthermore, these management practices vary from state to state.
This infographic summarizes key points of how medical wastes generate, are treated and reintroduced into the water supply.
